Attack of the Werebear
by cindy123
Summary: Dean and Sam are on the hunt for a man eating werebear. Things don't go quite as planned, but when do they ever with the Winchesters? Hurt/Sam, slightly hurt/protective Dean.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all. I'm back with my new story. It is quite short and a little lighter than usual. I hope you enjoy.**

**Cindy.**

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**Attack of the Werebear**

"The chuckwagon has arrived!" Dean announced as he pushed through the motel room door, plopping the two bags and drinks down on the table where Sam was busily tapping away at his laptop.

"What did you get me this time? A grease burger or a cholesterol casserole?" Sam asked sarcastically.

"Ha, Ha! Very funny Sam" Dean chirped, pulling a grease soaked package from one bag. "One juicy cheeseburger and fries for me!" he quipped.

Sam eyed the package with disgust, shaking his head.

"And one flavorless chicken ceasar salad for the lady" Dean said, handing the box he had pulled from the other bag to Sam.

"Thanks jerk!" Sam answered, opening the box and digging in.

"Geez! I slave away to provide you with a nice meal and this is the thanks I get. I tell you, you do not appreciate me enough Sammy!" Dean said, mock hurt in his voice.

"I appreciate you just fine Dean. You're the one who doesn't appreciate that I like to put something healthy in my body every once in a while." Sam countered.

"What's the point? We're gonna die someday anyway, might as well enjoy ourselves as much as we can!" Dean exclaimed, popping the top off his beer. "Here's your green tea, sister" he said, sliding the steaming cup across the table.

Sam eyed the cup for a moment before reaching out and grabbing it. "Thanks. I mean it Dean. Really, thanks."

"Uh, so.....what are you working on there Samantha?" Dean asked, effectively changing the subject before it got all chick flicky.

"Um, there have been some bear attacks in northern Idaho that look pretty interesting" Sam answered, looking at the computer screen.

"Hmm, bear attacks in Idaho huh? That is strange!" Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, it is when you consider they only happen during the full moon." Sam shot back.

"Really? So why do you think it's a bear? Why not a werewolf?" Dean asked.

"Doesn't fit. A werewolf either kills it's victim, or bites them to turn them. It doesn't eat them."

"So these victims were eaten?" Dean asked, biting into his cheeseburger with relish.

"Yep. Partially at least. Also, they found fur at the scenes, and once it was tested, it proved to be bear fur."

"So, what are we talking about here? Demon possessed bear? What?"

"Um.....don't laugh, okay?"

"Okay. Why would I laugh?"

"I've been researching and I think it's a werebear."

"I'm sorry. Did you say werebear?"

"Yep, I did. Go ahead, laugh it up!"

"Have you completely lost your mind? There is no such thing as a werebear! I've never heard of such a thing!"

"Yeah, well they're rare. But there is lore on them."

"Okay, so say they do exist. How does one become a werebear geek boy?" Dean asked, barely suppressing a laugh. "Do they have to get bitten?"

"A werebear is not a person. It's a regular bear that was born under very irregular circumstances." Sam answered, shooting Dean a caustic look.

"What circumstances?" Dean queried, finishing off his cheeseburger.

"Well, first it has to be born with a mutated gene. And it has to be born during a lunar eclipse, that just happens to be during the full moon."

"Is that all? So, did you find out when the last lunar eclipse was during a full moon?"

"Thirty two years ago. I checked and there were killings during the full moon cycles in Idaho thirty two years ago and they continued for two years, then they pretty much stopped. Until now."

"So, what happened thirty years ago to make it stop? And what happened to make it start up again?"

"I don't know, but I think it's worth checking out."

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** Sandpoint Idaho**

Dean and Sam pulled up to cabin #4 at the Mountain Air cabins on the outskirts of Sandpoint. They both stepped out of the impala and pulled their duffel bags from the backseat. They entered the cabin and dropped their bags on the beds, Sam taking the bed furthest from the door. Sam pulled all of the information they had gathered from his bag and spread it out on the table in the kitchenette.

"Okay, the full moon starts tomorrow night, so we don't have much time" Sam said, sorting through the papers he had compiled.

"Well, we know the attacks have been centered around Cushing Campground. I say we go check it out tonight, then go back tomorrow night and hunt the bastard down" Dean said, looking over Sam's shoulder.

"Right. We can get the layout down tonight, find the best place to try and draw it out."

"So, how do we kill it?" Dean asked.

"Silver bullet, just like a werewolf, except it will work through the heart or the brain."

"So a head shot will work huh?"

"Yep, head or chest."

"Sounds like a cold medicine commercial." Dean chuckled at his wit, realizing he was the only one amused. "Okaaay, let's go grab a bite to eat then we'll head out to the campground" Dean said, grabbing his keys and feeling a little hurt that Sam hadn't laughed at his joke.

"Yeah, okay" Sam answered distractedly.

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**Cushing Campground**

The impala rolled into the parking area at Cushing Campground. Dean was the first to step from the car, slowly turning a circle to get an idea of the layout of the area. Sam exited a few minutes later after shutting down his computer. He joined Dean on the other side of the car, peering around and taking mental notes.

"The last person killed was in site #14, we should check it out" Sam said, opening the back door and retrieving his jacket and flashlight.

Dean turned on his own flashlight and led the way through the campground, searching for site #14. It wasn't hard to find, what with the yellow tape wrapped around the trees. The boys ducked under the tape and began looking over the campsite. There was a tent still erected and a camp chair next to the campfire pit. The tent had dark splotches on it, and upon closer inspection, the splotches turned out to be blood. In fact every surface within the yellow taped perimeter had blood on it.

"Dean, over here" Sam called from the edge of the site, where he was crouched down next to a large pine tree.

Dean moved to where Sam was, pointing his flashlight at the dark spot at the base of the tree. "Blood pool" Dean stated, softly whistling at the sheer volume that had soaked into the earth. He shone the light up the side of the tree, which was saturated in dried blood.

"This is where they found him" Sam stated. "At least the top half of him."

"What happened to the rest of him?" Dean asked, glancing again at the large blood pool.

"Um, let's see" Sam replied, shining his light around until he found what he was looking for. "There! The path. His bottom half, or what was left of it was found about 250 yards down the path."

They shone their lights on the path, noticing the blood trail leading into the forest. Dean looked at Sam, then shrugged. "You ready?"

"Yeah, lead the way" Sam answered, gazing into the darkened forest.

They followed the path until they came upon another large blood pool.

"So, they found his legs here?" Dean asked, a sickening feeling in his stomach.

"From the waist down, what hadn't been eaten" Sam replied, shining his light around.

"What was the guy's name?"

"Uh, Daniel Jenkins, age 32. He was camping by himself."

"And the other death?"

"Marie Conley, age 37, husband, two children ages 11 and 8. Family camping trip. She went for a moonlit walk and never returned. They found her in three different places" Sam replied, eyes falling to the ground.

"Okay, we have to stop this thing before it takes any other kids parents away from them" Dean hissed, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Well, at least they haven't opened the area up to camping. It'll make taking care of this thing easier" Sam replied, his own anger causing his voice to shake.

"Let's get out of here. We'll come back tomorrow night and toast this bastard" Dean said, moving back up the path toward the campsite.

When they reached the campsite, Sam looked around. "Why do you think they left all the camp gear here?" he asked, glancing at Dean.

"Who knows. Maybe they were too afraid to come back here" Dean reasoned. "Come on, let's go."

They walked back through the campground until they reached the impala. They climbed inside and drove toward Sandpoint, thankful that they hadn't been seen. They had preparations to make and they both felt like tomorrow night was going to be a long one.

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**That's it for now. Next chapter up tomorrow. Please let me know what you think.**

**Cindy**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to all for reading and commenting. This story didn't really get much attention when I originally posted it on the other site so I am extremely happy to see so many reading and adding it to alert. Thanks again and now, here is chapter two.**

**Cindy.**

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**The next night-Cushing Campground**

Sam sat nervously next to the campfire burning in the fire pit at site #10. His gun, loaded with silver bullets, was tucked safely in the back of his jeans. _'Why do I_ _always have to be the bait?'_ he wondered petulently to himself. The one and only time he had lost to Dean at rock-paper-scissors and he was now sat here, shivering, waiting for a man eating fur ball to show up and try to make him it's next meal. He glanced around, his ears listening for any rustling in the surrounding trees. He raised the walkie talkie he held in his right hand to his mouth, pushed the button and whispered, "Dean...you hear or see anything?" A moment later Dean's whisper came back to greet him.

"Nothing yet. How you doing there boy scout?" Dean replied, not missing the slight tremor in his brother's voice.

"Funny. I'm fine Dean. Really enjoying being werebear bait by the way."

"Hey, you lost fair and square so quit your whining you big baby."

"I don't know how, but I'm sure you cheated jerk!"

"Yeah, whatever bitch!"

"Dean...you sure you can see well enough from where you are? I feel like a sitting duck here!"

"You going chicken on me little brother? I can see just fine from here. You'll be fine so quit your worrying. I'm not gonna let that flesh eating carpet anywhere near you okay?" Dean glanced around nervously, not quite feeling as confident as he let on to Sam. _'Just let me see it before it gets a chance to get to Sam,'_ he thought to himself.

"Sorry Dean. I guess I'm just a little jittery is all," Sam said, the thoughts of what had happened to the previous victims still fresh in his mind.

"No worries little brother, I got you covered," Dean answered back, his eyes surveying the surrounding forest more diligently now.

Suddenly, a loud rustling sound came to Dean's ears and he crouched down lower in the bushes that he was hiding in, his eyes searching the area for any signs of the fabled bear. A low, rumbling growl came from about fifty feet to his left and he raised himself up slightly, bringing his rifle to his shoulder. "Sam," he whispered into the walkie talkie, "I think it's here."

"Where? Where is it?" Sam asked softly as his hand reached back and wrapped around his pistol, his eyes darting back and forth over the darkened forest.

"About fifty feet to my left. Keep your eyes peeled. Hopefully I can shoot it before it gets near you."

"Be careful Dean. Please?"

"Hey kiddo, don't worry. Careful is my middle name."

Dean whirled to his left when he heard a thunderous crash through the trees. Just as his finger touched the trigger of his rifle, he was thrown from his feet as a fur covered leg crashed into him. His rifle flew from his hands when his backwards motion was halted by a towering pine tree. He crashed heavily to the forest floor, pain shooting through his shoulder and head. He saw stars dance before his eyes as his vision blurred. He could sense the direction the beast was headed and one word flashed through his foggy mind before blackness claimed him.

'Sammy…'

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"Dean?!" Sam whispered desperately into the walkie talkie. He now held his pistol in his right hand and was sweeping his arm back and forth over the trees in the direction that Dean had gone to hide himself.

"Dean! What's going on?" he cried, louder this time. The last thing Dean had said was 'Careful is my middle name,' and now he wasn't responding.

Just as Sam was about to take off in Dean's direction, he pulled up short when the most God awful looking creature burst through the treeline. Sam stood completely still, shock making it impossible for him to move. The werebear stopped just past the trees and lifted it's tusked snout, sniffing the air as if trying to pick up a scent. It's eyes glowed an eerie amber as they darted from side to side, searching the darkness. The creature stood at least seven feet tall from shoulder to ground and was covered in bristly looking fur the color of dark mocha. It's razor sharp fangs were bared menacingly and tusks about two and a half feet long protruded from it's snout where they dipped toward the ground before curving straight forward. They stuck out two feet past the end of the snout just below the creature's bottom jaw.

Sam slowly began to back away, trying to find cover in the trees when suddenly the creature snorted, a cloud of moist breath blowing from it's nostrils into the cold night air. It turned it's amber eyes in Sam's direction, appearing to be looking directly at him and without warning and with unimaginable speed, the beast burst forward and was upon the shocked hunter before he even had a chance to flinch. The beast lowered it's head and in an instant caught Sam under his arms with it's tusks and lifted him from the ground. The werebear rose up on it's hind legs, lifting Sam even higher, then backed him straight into a large tree, it's tusks sinking into the trunk and effectively pinning the kicking hunter there.

The creatures jaws were mere inches from Sam's face as it snapped ferociously, trying to tear into it's trapped prey, it's embedded tusks the only thing keeping it from it's task. Sam's legs kicked wildly as he tried to free himself from the werebear's tusks. He gradually became aware of a dull pain in his left arm and was able to glance over only to find that the beast's sharp tusk had pierced his arm in the fleshy underside before lodging into the tree. He realized then that he wouldn't be able to free himself.

Without warning the werebear swiped it's razor sharp claws across Sam, slicing him from his right hip, down his thigh and across his left knee. Sam screamed in pain and immediately saw stars. He could feel hot, sticky blood seep down his legs and knew that he was running out of time. He worried that Dean was already dead and in that instant realized he was still, by some miracle, holding onto his pistol. The gun was gripped tightly in his right hand and he brought it around, trying to get a good shot lined up. He had to get free, kill this evil fur ball and find Dean. His brother could be bleeding to death for all he knew. Determination flared in his eyes and he loudly proclaimed, "Hey you evil motherf***er! You're going down!"

Sam aimed the gun down toward the beast's chest and pulled the trigger. The bullet ripped into the werebear's shoulder and it reared back, dislodging it's tusks from the tree and from Sam. Sam fell with bonejarring force to the ground and screamed out as the impact sent white hot pain through his entire body. Somehow he had managed to hang on to the gun and quickly forced himself to his feet, staggering back until he was able to steady himself against the tree. He brought the gun up and prepared to shoot the charging creature again, but was caught by the beasts swiping leg and was sent flying to his right, losing his grip on the gun as he hit the ground painfully. His right leg was bent painfully underneath him and he felt a sharp sting across his left cheek.

Sam frantically reached for his gun when the werebear charged him again and just as the beast was nearly upon him, his fingers closed around the weapon and he pulled it up in a sweeping arc and pulled the trigger over and over, watching as the bullets ripped into the shocked creature's chest.

The werebear pitched forward, it's left front leg coming out in front of it. Sam watched in terrified fascination as the beast fell towards him as if in slow motion, and collapsed to the ground on Sam's left side. It's front left leg crashed down across Sam's body, one razor sharp claw slicing through the scalp on the right side of Sam's head, before coming to rest next to him. Sam gasped, the pressure on his chest from the huge leg making it difficult to breathe. He tried to move, but the weight of the beast's leg, and the white hot pain that lanced through his bent up right leg stopped him. Darkness began to creep into the outer edges of his vision and Sam murmured one prayer before consciousness left him.

"Please God, let Dean be okay."

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**There you go. The boys are in trouble. Surprise, surprise!! Next chapter tomorrow. Now, I thought it was only four chapters long but actually it's five so there are three chapters left. Please let me know what you think.**

**Cindy.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again, you guys amaze me! I really wasn't prepared for the attention I've received for this story. Thank you so much! Now, here is chapter 3.**

**Cindy.**

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Dean groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, his hand reaching up to nurse the bump on the side of his head. He cautiously pushed himself up to a seated position and looked around in confusion. 'What the hell happened?' he thought. He got to his feet, swaying a little as a wave of vertigo washed over him. 'Okay, I was waiting for the werebear...something threw me into the tree...it took off toward Sam...'

"HOLY SHIT! SAM!!!" Dean cried as he reached down and grabbed his shotgun.

Just as his fingers touched his gun he heard a pain filled scream echo through the forest and immediately knew it was Sam.

"Sammy! Hold on, I'm coming!" Dean yelled as he took off running toward where he had left Sam sitting.

As Dean was running he heard a gunshot, soon followed by another scream of pain. Dean picked up speed, crashing through the trees, desperate to reach Sam before the werebear could harm him. He heard a quick succession of gunshots in the distance and then all went quiet. He hammered through the forest and broke through the trees a few minutes later, coming to a halt when he saw the huge bear lying lifelessly on the ground. He frantically searched the clearing for Sam but could not see him anywhere.

"Sam!?" Dean called, then listened for a reply.

When no reply came, he sprinted to where the huge creature lay, catching sight of his brother on the other side of it. He hurried around the werebear and dropped to his knees next to Sam's head. The first thing he saw was a shallow cut across Sam's left cheek, then he saw blood matted in Sam's hair and discovered the deep gash on the right side of his head.

"Shit, shit, shit!" he mumbled to himself.

Dean stood up and grabbed the massive front leg of the beast, trying to pull it from his unconscious brother. When he couldn't budge the bear's leg, he quickly came up with an alternate plan. Reaching down and lifting his pant leg, he removed his large hunting knife from it's sheath and began sawing at the leg at the knee joint. Ten minutes later and after much sweating, the leg was finally removed and Sam was freed. Once Sam was free from the creature, Dean was able to see his right leg that was bent up under his body in a very painful looking position, and also the shredded, bloody jeans where the werebear had sliced Sam.

"Crap, that leg is probably broken. And I gotta get a look at those cuts," Dean muttered as he knelt down by the bent leg and gently poked and prodded before carefully pulling it out straight.

He took his pocket knife and cut up Sam's jeans so he could evaluate the claw marks. He hissed when he saw how deep the cuts were at the top of Sam's thigh, but was encouraged that the blood flow was not as bad as it could be. Sam moaned softly and began to move his head from side to side. Dean moved up to Sam's side and placed his hand on Sam's shoulder, gently shaking him.

"Hey Sam. That's it, open your eyes. Come on kiddo, wake up."

Sam's eyes moved rapidly under his lids and he slowly opened them, blinking in confusion and pain. He tried to sit up, but fell back to the ground with a gasp.

"Take it easy Sammy. Let me check you out first before you move okay?" Dean said as he softly held Sam down.

"m'kay," Sam whispered, closing his eyes once more.

"No Sam. You need to stay awake for me. I don't want you going into shock. Can you stay awake for me?" Dean inquired, smiling slightly when Sam's eyes blinked open again.

"Okay, first off I gotta stop your head from bleeding." Dean ripped a large piece from the bottom of his undershirt and balled it up before pressing it to Sam's head. "Sammy, can you hold this to your head while I check out your ribs? That leg was pretty heavy and I'm afraid it might have injured you when it came down."

"Uh...yeah. What happened?" Sam answered a little more coherently. He reached his shaky hand up and held the cloth to his head.

"I'm not quite sure. You're gonna have to fill me in when you can remember. All I know is that you toasted this walking carpet. Good job by the way," Dean replied as he gingerly pressed his fingers along Sam's ribcage. Sam jerked and hissed when Dean pressed about midway on his left side.

"Ahh...man that hurts. And I didn't mean me. What happened to you? Are you okay?" Sam said through clenched teeth.

"I'm fine Sam. Frickin' bear just sent me flying and I took a little nap is all. You're the one we need to worry about. I think your right leg may be broken, and you've got a helluva gash on the side of your head, not to mention the claw marks on your legs," Dean answered, finishing up his assessment of Sam's ribs. "The good news is I don't think you broke any ribs. Probably just bruised."

"You sure you're okay? You said you were knocked out Dean."

"I'm sure Sam. I don't even have a headache. It's not much of a bump and I was only out a few minutes. And hey, you were out cold when I found you, so let's just worry about getting you out of here. I'm gonna try to pull you over to that tree and get you sitting up. You think you're up for that?"

"Um...yeah, I think so. Dean? What are we gonna do with the werebear?"

"Well...we're gonna have a little bear bonfire. How's that sound?"

"What if someone sees it and come's around to check it out?"

"I don't think there's anyone around to see it Sam. We'll be fine. Now let's get you away from stinky here okay?"

Sam nodded and Dean stood at Sam's head, reaching down and grabbing him under his arms before starting to carefully drag him to the tree. Dean stopped as soon as he had started when Sam cried out in pain.

"What!? What's wrong Sam?"

"My arm. I forgot. His tusk went through my left arm," Sam hissed.

"Shit!" Dean exclaimed as he set Sam back down and noticed the blood on his hand. "Okay, I need to look at that."

Dean took his knife back out and cut down Sam's jacket sleeve and then his shirt. He found the wound and examined it closely before running a hand through his hair. "Well, I don't think it hit the bone, but it went through the muscle. You're definitely gonna need to go to the ER dude. I can't really handle any of this myself."

"Dean, are you sure? I hate hospitals."

"Yeah Sam. You're going to need your leg x-rayed, these cuts on your legs and the gash on your head sewn up, and this arm taken care of. No way around it. Sorry."

"Not your fault Dean."

"It feels like it is Sammy. I'm sorry I didn't keep it away from you."

"Dean, you were hurt. Just stop blaming yourself."

"Yeah, okay. Um...I need to get the car. There's no way you're walking out of here and I sure the hell ain't carrying your ass so...will you be okay while I go get it?"

"I'll be fine Dean. Just hurry."

Dean picked up Sam's pistol then reached into Sam's jacket pocket and pulled out more bullets, loaded the pistol and handed it to Sam. He then wrapped his arms around Sam's chest and pulled him to the nearest tree where he propped him up, then removed his own jacket and covered his brother. He reached for his shotgun and headed for the Impala, taking a quick glance at Sam and noticing just how pale he was. He was sure Sam had lost quite a bit of blood between his head wound and his legs, so he picked up his pace, wanting to get to the car and then back to his brother as quickly as possible.

Sam sat quietly, propped against the tree, as he held the cloth Dean had given him firmly against his head and pressed his other hand onto the top of his right thigh. He felt lightheaded and was finding it difficult to remain awake. Sam forced his eyes to stay open. 'Please hurry Dean,' he thought wearily to himself.

Dean finally made it to the Impala and quickly unlocked and opened the door. He tossed his shotgun into the back seat as he climbed in behind the wheel. He felt an urgent need to get back to Sam. His baby brother did not look good when he left him. Dean was amazed and felt a huge swell of pride in his brother for being able to bring down the monstrous werebear with such serious injuries. He would make sure to get the whole story from Sam as soon as he knew he would be alright.

Ten minutes later Dean pulled up to site #10 and jumped from the car, rushing to Sam's side. Sam's eyes were closed but he still held the cloth to his head and had pressure on his thigh. Dean shook his head, marveling at Sam's strength.

"Hey Sam," Dean said softly as he gently shook Sam's shoulder. "Wake up kiddo."

"m' awake," Sam replied with a slur as he slowly opened his eyes.

"I'm gonna get you in the car and then patch you up a bit before I burn the fugly bastard, then we're going to the hospital."

"m'kay Dean."

Dean lifted Sam from the ground then bent him over his shoulder before carrying him to the Impala. He gently placed him in the back seat and did a quick but efficient patch job on his more serious injuries. He covered him with a blanket then went to the trunk and pulled out the duffel that contained salt, lighter fluid, and matches and set about burning the carcass of the werebear. It took an amazingly short amount of time for the creature to burn and Dean had the Impala on the road within twenty minutes.

Dean floored the gas pedal, intent on getting Sam some help as quickly as possible. A pained moan from the backseat had him looking in the rearview mirror where he could see sweat trickling down Sam's face and mixing with the blood from his head and cheek.

"Hang on Sammy, we're almost there," he pled as Sam's eyes slowly closed

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**There you go! More to come tomorrow**

**Cindy.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, here is the next chapter. Thanks for reading.**

**Cindy.**

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**Community Hospital-Several hours later**

Dean sat quietly beside Sam's bed watching his brother sleep. The past hours had been an exhausting blur of fear, panic, regret and finally relief. It had taken an hours drive to get Sam to the hospital which had nearly driven Dean insane. Every bump in the mountain road had caused a cry of pain from his semi-conscious brother so Dean had been forced to slow down until he had finally gotten to the highway. He had broken all speed laws from that point on and had finally screamed up to the ER doors an hour after leaving Cushing Campground. He had run into the ER screaming that his brother was hurt and had lost a lot of blood. A team of hospital personnel had run from the building with a gurney and had carefully pulled Sam from the Impala, grim looks on their faces at the condition they saw of the young man. Sam had disappeared behind swinging doors and Dean had been given a clipboard with several forms to fill out and had then been asked to take a seat and wait. Dean was not good at waiting.

Two hours after arriving at the hospital, a doctor had come to Dean explaining Sam's condition. They had sewn up a severe laceration on his scalp and also the slices on his legs. His cheek only required butterfly bandages and he had badly bruised ribs, but thankfully no broken ones. His leg was a different story. A break had been found in his thighbone just above his knee and would require surgery to put a pin in to fix the break. The surgery had taken over an hour and then Sam spent another hour in recovery before he was moved to his own room and Dean was allowed to see him.

Dean had had nearly five hours to contemplate the now previous evenings events. He desperately regretted using Sam as the bait, kicking himself for thinking he could take the werebear out before it ever got to his little brother. 'When had things ever worked out the way he had planned?' he had chided himself mercilessly over the hours of waiting. He was still amazed that Sam had been able to bring the monster down, even with the injuries he had sustained. He assumed that Sam had been in survival mode, the thought never crossing his mind that it was he himself that had motivated Sam enough to prevail. He didn't know that it was Sam's fear that he had been hurt that had given Sam the strength to fight so hard until the beast had been defeated.

A soft moan brought Dean out of his musings and he rose from the chair he had been occupying for the last three hours and stood beside Sam's bed. He absently reached down and took Sam's hand gently in his own, rubbing circles over the top of it with his thumb. Sam's eyes moved rapidly below his lids as he fought to the surface of consciousness. Dean reached up with his other hand and brushed the stray strands of hair from Sam's eyes. The action was what Sam needed to pull himself from the darkness and into the soft light of the hospital room.

"Hey little brother. I didn't think you were ever gonna wake up," Dean said softly, a large smile spreading across his face.

"Wha...what happened?" Sam asked as he looked to Dean, confusion in his eyes.

"You went eight rounds with a werebear and won Sammy. Don't you remember?" Dean asked worriedly.

"Uh...yeah I remember being pinned to a tree, and pain...my arm and legs. I think I shot it, then I dropped. It swiped me and I flew...don't remember much after that."

"Well Sammy. After you were sent flying, somehow you shot the bastard and brought it down. Unfortunately, you brought it down right on top of you. You're one tough son of a bitch to have done all that after all the blood you lost. You must have really been in survival mode man."

"All I could think of was that you had to have been hurt or you would have been there. I had to kill it so I could help you."

"You did all that because you were worried about me?" Dean asked, a small lump forming in his throat.

"Well...yeah. You would have never let that thing near me if you weren't hurt. I was scared that maybe you were..."

"It's okay Sammy. I wasn't hurt badly. The doc checked me out and I don't even have a concussion. Just a little sore. Nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes Sam, I'm fine."

Sam moved to raise himself up, gasping as the movement sent stabbing pain through his leg. He slumped back onto his pillows as Dean grabbed his shoulders to hold him down.

"Easy Sam. You broke your leg. You had to have surgery to repair the break. Just keep still."

"What else?"

"Huh?"

"What other injuries?"

"Oh...You got a pretty good gash on the side of your head. Sorry dude, they had to shave some of your hair," Dean started, a small laugh escaping him as Sam reached up to his head with a shocked look on his face.

"Don't worry Sam, your other hair will cover it until it grows back. Now, back to your boo boo's. The bastard took a swipe at your legs. You have claw marks from your right hip and down over your left knee. Nothing permanently damaged, but they required lots of stitches. You have puncture wound in the under part of your upper left arm that had to be repaired. A cut on your cheek that didn't need stitches. I think that's about it."

"Huh, that's all?"

"You were lucky Sam. Considering."

"You're okay, so yeah I am lucky."

"And so are you little brother. And the freaky bear is dead."

"So...when do I get outa here anyway?"

"Jeez Sam. You just woke up from surgery, give yourself a little time dude."

"Dean, you know I hate hospitals."

"Yeah well, you're staying as long as the good doc says you need to."

"Dean..."

"No whining Sam. You lost a lot of blood. I thought I'd lost you. On the drive to the hospital you stopped moving, stopped making any sounds. I thought you were gone. You scared me shitless Sam. You're staying as long as you need to."

"Okay, okay. Sorry Dean. Sorry for scaring you."

"Yeah, me too. Now go to sleep, you need your rest."

"So do you Dean. Why don't you go to the motel and get some sleep."

"I think I'll stay right here Sammy. I can sleep in the chair," Dean answered, not quite ready to let Sam out of his sight.

Sam smiled, knowing why Dean didn't want to leave. He was relieved because he didn't think he could rest knowing Dean wasn't there watching over him. Sam closed his eyes and slowly drifted to sleep as Dean sunk down onto the chair he had been sitting in. Dean lifted his feet up and rested them on the side of the bed, crossed his arms across his chest and slowly drifted to sleep himself, finally allowing the exhaustion that had settled on him to take over in the knowledge that Sam was safe and was going to be okay. The brothers slept the day away like this, their dreams for once not dark and frightening but of happier, more innocent times.

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**Well, that's chapter 4. One more chapter to go. I hope you enjoy.**

**Cindy.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, here is the final chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who read my story. **

**Cindy.**

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**EPILOGUE**

**One week later**

Sam stood before the bathroom mirror, his fingers smoothing his hair over the shaven part on his head. He took in the cut on his cheek, slowly shaking his head as he remembered the events of that night. He was still in quite a bit of pain, especially his ribs and leg. He leaned back from the sink and reached over to the wall to grab the crutches that the hospital had provided for him. His leg was cast from his upper thigh to midcalf so the crutches were a necessary evil if he wanted to get around. Sam chose to wear loose fitting sweats instead of having to cut all of his jeans in order to make them fit over his cast. The sweats also helped in that they didn't put any pressure the gashes that ran over both legs. The motel room door swinging open brought Sam out of his musings and had him moving slowly out of the bathroom.

Dean glanced up as Sam came from the bathroom into the small motel room. He smiled lightly as he watched his tall, lanky brother try to navigate around the room on the almost too short crutches. His smile left him as he recalled that night and the absolute panic he had felt upon waking and not knowing if Sam was okay or not. He had thanked God and anyone else out there he could think of for giving him his brother back with no life threatening injuries. Sam had a fairly long road to recovery to travel before he would be able to hunt again. He would be in his cast for at least 6 weeks and then would need to get his muscles strengthened after that.

Dean had decided to head to Bobby's where they could take it easy until Sam was fully healed. He was actually looking forward to the down time for a change, this last hunt taking more out of him mentally than he cared to admit. Sam had been hurt before but for some reason this time had hit Dean harder than usual. He surmised it was knowing exactly how the other victims had died, having been torn apart and partially eaten, and how close Sam had come to being counted among the dead. A slight shudder ran down Dean's spine and he physically shook his head to clear the dark thoughts from his mind. He glanced again at Sam before speaking.

"So Sammy, uh...did you ever find out why the werebear was absent for all those years?"

"Um...I really don't think it was absent all that time to tell the truth."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, I did some research and over the past 30 odd years there have been several backpackers whom have disappeared and have never been found. None of these missing backpackers had given specific information on exactly where they would be hiking but according to the reports they would have been in the general area of Cushing Campground. Their disappearances were never connected to the killings at the campground because they were never found."

"So, you think that the walking carpet got them too?"

"Yeah, it makes sense. According to the information I could find on werebears, they do tend to hibernate for long periods of time. They come out occasionally to find food, but then go right back to sleep. It's only when a large food supply, so to speak, presents itself that a lot of people end up werebear food. So, when they reopened the campground after all this time, the werebear came out and decided to fatten up a bunch before going back into hibernation."

"Huh. I guess that does make sense. Well, it should have known better than to go after a Winchester. I still want to know exactly how you managed to bring that bastard down all on your own you know."

"Yeah, well I really don't remember much. After it sliced into my legs, everything gets a little fuzzy. I guess I must have been able to hold onto my gun and somehow shot it so it released me. I don't really know."

"Hmm...well maybe it'll come back to you. In any case, pretty bitchin' how you took it down little bro'"

"Yeah, thanks Dean. Are we about ready to head out? I would sure like to get out of here. Being stuck in a hospital bed, then a motel bed for almost 2 weeks has about driven me insane."

"Uh, yeah. I've been here, remember. And I gotta say Sammy, you really did ramp up the whineyness this time around."

"Screw you Dean. If you didn't have to watch all of those insane Star Trek reruns, oh and let's not forget the infomercials, I wouldn't have been so whiney. Besides, you whined a lot more than I did."

"I didn't whine!"

"Yeah, right."

"Just get your gimpy ass out to the car Gigantar! I've got the backseat all set up for you."

"Dean! I don't want to ride in the backseat."

"Sam, you won't have any room for your cast in the front. You'll be a lot more comfortable in the back."

"This sucks you know!"

"Suck it up bitch!"

"You suck it up jerk!"

"Just hobble out to the car while I grab the rest of the stuff."

"Whatever."

Dean shook his head, laughing lightly as Sam made his way clumsily out the door. He grabbed their remaining belongings and followed Sam out, depositing their items in the trunk before slamming it shut. He hurried to where Sam was trying without much luck to slide into the backseat. Sam's casted leg made it difficult to manuever so Dean finally decided that he would have to go in backwards and slide across the seat. Once Sam was slid across the seat, Dean placed a pillow he swiped from the motel behind Sam's back and covered his legs with a stolen blanket. Sam smiled curtly before whispering his thanks. Dean opened the drivers door and slid in behind the wheel, looking back over the seat as he slammed the door.

"How you doing back there Sammy? All comfy? Do you need a pain pill or anything?" Dean asked, noticing that Sam was a bit pale.

"I'm fine Dean. Thanks."

"No problem. Just let me know if you get too uncomfortable or are in any pain okay?"

"Yeah. I really can ride in the front seat Dean. I don't want to ride back here."

"You wouldn't make it very far before you got uncomfortable Sammy and I want to try to make it as far as possible before stopping for the day. Just take it easy back there. You should try to sleep anyway and you can stretch out back there a lot easier."

"Yeah, I know. It just doesn't feel right. You know?"

"I know Sam. It's temporary. We'll see how you do today then maybe tomorrow you can ride up front, okay?"

"Okay. I guess I am a little tired. Maybe I will try to take a nap."

"You do that. I'll wake you when I stop for lunch."

"Thanks Dean." Sam closed his eyes as Dean pulled out of the motel lot and headed down the road. He was asleep before Dean hit the offramp for the highway heading east.

Dean glanced over his shoulder, a small smile forming on his lips. Sam always looked so young when he was sleeping and it took Dean back to when Sam was little and depended on him completely for all of his needs. Dean would never admit it, and would never be happy to have Sam hurt, but this past week of taking care of his brother had been nice. It brought back memories of a more innocent time when there were no scars on their bodies and their dreams were mostly pleasant. Dean turned his gaze out the front window and drove on down the highway, Sam's soft snore bringing another smile to his face.

**THE END**

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**That's it folks. Please let me know what you thought. Reviews are love. Now, I'm going to start posting my next story entitled Separate Ways tonight. I hope you'll check it out. It is another complete story that I will be posting at least one chapter, if not two each day. It has twenty something chapters so it is a little longer. Thanks again.**

**Cindy.**


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